Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Firefox 3.5 icon with version number

4965

Download the image here.

Firefox 3.5 is out and since those of us working on the web usually have multiple versions of the browser installed, having an icon with the version number on it makes it easier to identify the instance we're loading.

This is inspired by http://browserversionicons.com/firefox/

With the icon from Mozilla.

Instructions for running multiple instances of Firefox are here.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Red Cooked Pork

Found original recipe here: http://www.redcook.net/2008/01/18/hong-shao-rou-red-cooked-pork/

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 lb. pork belly meat cut into two inch cubes
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 3 cloves of garlic peeled
* 1-2 whole star anise
* 2 tablespoons soy sauce (老抽)
* 1/4 cup rice wine (紹興酒)
* 1 1/2 cups water

Preparation:

* Melt the sugar with some water in a small pot over medium high heat. Continue heating until the sugar is slightly brown.
* Brown the cubed pork in the pot
* Add brown it with the caramelized sugar. About 8 minutes.
* Put the garlic, star anise,soy sauce, rice wine and clear stock into the pot. Cover the pot and simmer over low heat. Cook for about 40 minutes. Stir the meat every 10 minutes to make sure the bottom of the pot does not get burnt. Remove the cover and turn the heat to medium high. Cook the meat for another 10 minutes until the sauce reduces to a smooth consistency.
* This dish, like most stew dishes, is better if left overnight and reheated the next day.

Sweet Green Bean Soup

This is a popular Chinese summer time treat.

1.5 cup green beans (mung beans)
10 cups water.
5 T sugar.

Wash the beans.
Bring water to boil.
Add beans and simmer at low heat for 45 minutes or until bean is soft.
Add sugar and stir.

Can be served hot or cold.

Monday, June 15, 2009

2009 NBA Champion: LA Lakers!!!

Every post-game interview last night asked how this championship is different from the 3 Shaq-Kobe ones. As a fan, this one was different then those three since this one came after a loss in the previous finals that led to an entire season where the focus is just on winning the championship. Maintaining the focus throughout an entire season must be so difficult that it should set this one apart from the others.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Lakers vs Magic Game 4

A couple of observations from Game 4.

Beyond D-Fish's clutch 3s was how much energy and effort he brought to the game. He out hustled everyone in that 3rd quarter. Everyone, go watch him again. That's heart.

Kobe showed a little frustration when Howard had his arms wrapped around him during a foul, but it was through a complaint to the ref. He must have the patience of a saint because to have people draped over him on every play like that would piss most everyone off. I would guess that most players would've retaliated under that kind of foul and harassment.

A company is the people who work for it.

I ran across this article through Hacker News by an entrepreneur who had sold his previous company and realized that he needed to start a new company. The author definitely has that entrepreneur spirit of wanting to take action on ideas, but a few of his statements are also examples of the negatives views adopted by many who are in management and leadership positions.

"I hated having 85 employees. It had become a little hell. I needed to get away and clear my mind."


How sad to hear from their leader that he hated having to deal with them. Being in management and leadership positions means having a degree of power over the employees, but it also comes with a responsibility for those employees. Employees are people and not just pawns to fulfill the manager's whims.

Before accepting the job of a manager, think about what that position means because it can be very different from what your existing role is.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Google Apps for Business

I've been using Google Apps for Domains (don't confuse it with just apps I.e. Docs) and it is excellent. It is a great solution for small businesses or start-ups especially those with limited IT budgets.

Recently Google added support with Blackberry and with today's announcement that they are adding Outlook sync, the barriers to business adoption continue to fall.